A cure for “Guru Attachment Syndrome”

Throughout my practice of yoga, the guru, in my case, Yogi Amrit Desai, often spoke of the relationship between guru and disciple. I was a mere 18 years old, just waking to divinity in my crazy teenage years leading up to my meeting a “real” guru, on October 3, 1979.

I think many gurus of various sorts are very well-schooled students of psychology and practitioners who work, as well, to advance ancient practices toward a noble and holy goal of peace of mind. These masters are amazing examples of having overcome the limited thinking of the world, and are thus, quite helpful to anyone along their path to enlightenment. This path, I do consider inevitable and utterly unavoidable.

My understanding now of the guru, a term which technically means “dispeller of darkness”, and thus would suggests providing some assistance with seeing.

Perhaps this story is so apropos at this time while I’ve been reviewing lesson #44 of A Course in Miracles “God is the light in which I see.” which presents a unique method of meditation. This type of meditation is avoided by highly resistant minds trained to avoid our connection to the divine loving voice for God.

I know this because its practice has proven to be one of my greatest challenges.

It could be said that the “clingy” disciples are the ones who didn’t notice that their inner guru, or atman, was still unnoticed, even in the presence of the dispeller of darkness, who offers the disciple a “one-time-shot” of brightness in order to wake up to their own divinity.

This is impossible, of course, to a mind that is resisting the truth. For this reason, I do assert that disciples who cling to their gurus are hoping for the impossible — an easy shortcut to enlightenment through denial.

To be a guru means to take your light into the darkness, as I understand it, that the darkness may be dispelled. Perhaps this is the work we all do once we recognize that the perfect channel to God already exists in each of us, and that we were simply not yet quietly asking and listening, looking and seeing, trusting and knowing.

I trust you will find your way in the darkness of the world’s fear, and certainly not without the help from those who’s light also shines brightly.